Destruction of Fort Drum

The Destruction of Fort Drum occurred on 13 April 1945 when the US Army engineers converged on the final Japanese stronghold near Manila, the old Fort Drum in Manila Bay. The fort, built in 1909 to honor the American general Richard C. Drum, was nicknamed "the concrete battleship", as it had the appearance of a battleship sitting in the middle of the bay. Japanese troops occupied the fort during World War II, and the Americans decided to attack the fort a month and ten days after the liberation of Manila. The US Navy bombarded the fort before engineers poured kerosine, petroleum, and gasoline down the ventilation shafts of the fort, and the Americans ignited the oil with tracers. The fort was destroyed in a massive explosion that killed every Japanese soldier inside, and the fire burned for several days.